Soy grilled quail eggs with sesame salt
These were inspired by a Japanese yakitori restaurant we often go to. The marinating and grilling gives the eggs a sweet, smoky aroma, accentuated by the milder sesame flavour. Ideally, they should be somewhere between soft-boiled and hard-boiled when you serve them, but this is not always easy to achieve. They will be delicious nonetheless. Serve as a snack, and make more than you think you'll need - they're very good.
24 canapes
Serving size
Ingredients
1 tbsp sesame seeds (white and black)
1 tsp Maldon sea salt
24 quail eggs
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Scatter the sesame seeds inside a nonstick pan and place it on medium heat. Jiggle them around for four minutes or so, until toasted evenly, then remove from the heat. Once cool, tip into a food processor, add the salt and blitz in a few pulses, to break up the seeds just a little.
- Fill a medium pan with water and bring to a boil. Place the eggs inside and simmer for two minutes for soft-boiled (leave for another minute if you like them harder). Remove, refresh in cold water and peel. Mix the soy and oil in a bowl, add the eggs, coating them in the mixture, and marinade for 30 minutes.
- Place a griddle pan on a medium to high flame and leave until hot. Lift the eggs out of their marinade and place on the griddle. After 20 seconds, turn them and leave for another 20 seconds, to get char marks on all sides. Remove, stick each egg on a wooden skewer and serve warm, or at room temperature, with the sesame salt alongside for dipping into.